Cancer researcher returns to Everest
As activities take place today to mark World Cancer Day, Professor Shaunna Burke is preparing to return to the summit of Mount Everest to demonstrate that life does not stop with a cancer diagnosis.
Professor Shaunna Burke is an Associate Professor in Exercise and Health Psychology in the faculty’s School of Biomedical Sciences. Her research focuses on prehabilitation and rehabilitation strategies for cancer patients, exploring how physical activity can help patients prepare for, respond to, and recover from treatment.
Professor Burke was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in 2024. Whilst continuing her research, she has also applied her knowledge and expertise to her own experience of undergoing treatment. She has raised £14,300 so far for the charity Macmillan Cancer Support, becoming an advocate for cancer patients and sharing her experience with audiences inside and outside of academia.
Image: Professor Shaunna Burke
From research to personal experience
An experience mountaineer, Professor Burke became the second Canadian women to reach the summit of Everest in 2005. She has also climbed three more of the world’s highest peaks; Mount Aconcagua in Argentina, Elbrus in Russia, Kilimanjaro in Africa.
And last year, just over a year from her diagnosis, Professor Burke completed the Tenzing Hillary Everest Marathon, the world's highest marathon, which begins at Everest Base Camp. She dedicated her run to people living with incurable cancer diagnoses.
Professor Burke's current Everest expedition is being documented through the Dying to Climb project, which will follow her journey and explores themes of resilience and hope in living with terminal illness.
To prepare for the challenge, she has been training in a high-altitude chamber and is collaborating with a team of researchers, including Dr Barney Wainwright, Senior Research Fellow at Leeds Beckett University, to monitor how her body is responding.
‘United by Unique’
This year's World Cancer Day theme, 'United by Unique', emphasises person-centred care and the stories of individual people affected by cancer. Professor Burke's unique story reflects this theme - not only in her lived experience as both researcher and patient, but also how her work puts individuals and their physical capabilities at the heart of approaches to treatment.
In a recent interview with ITV News, Professor Burke explained her motivation for her latest challenge:
You never know what's around the corner, and none of us are going to live forever. But when you have a diagnosis, it brings that really close in front of you. And for me, climbing Everest is choosing life.
Further information
Take a look at the Dying to Climb project, visit Shaunna’s GoFundMe page and watch the ITV News feature from 1 January 2026.
Top image: Adobe Stock.
